Henri cousin



(No Model.)

H. COUSIN. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ACETYLENE GAS. N0. 604,229. Patl'lY/I'ai 17, 1898.

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NrTED Taurusv PATENT HENRI COUSIN, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 604,229, dated May 17, 1898.

Application led May 1, 1897. Serial No. 634,699. (No model.) Iatented in Belgium November 28, 1896, No. 124,866; in Luxemburg March 19, 1897, No. 2,788, and in England April 3, 1897,No. 8,552.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRI COUSIN, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Acetylene, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Belgium, No. 124,866, dated November28, 1896; in Luxemburg, No. 2,788, dated March 19, 1897, and in England, No. 8,552, dated April 3, 1897,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for mauufacturing acetylene from calcium carbid; and it consists in improvements in the arrangement or construction thereof, the object of the invention being to regulate the generation of the acetylene automatically and safely according to its consumption, so that the internal pressure remains uniform, and to obtain a pure gas not liable to clog the burners.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in elevation of the improved apparatus for manufacturing acetylene. Fig. 2 is a Vertical central section of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, o represents the hopper, which consists of a funnel-shaped receptacle closed on the top and fitted with a cock ct', through which the hopper is charged with carbid. The hopper is supported by the guides b of the gas-holder bell c, which are iixed, as usual, upon the holder-tank c', so that the bell has not to support the hopper. The gas-holder consists of the annular tank c with the floating bell c and of asmaller bell cl, fixed by its upper flange el to the large flange a2 of a pipe a3, attached to the bottom end of the hopper a. The lower end of the small bell d dips into the annular hydraulic sealtank formed by a down-pipe c2, riveted to the crown of the bell c at the top and joined by a Z-iron to the rising pipe c3. In consequence of this arrangement the bell can rise and fall freely without having to overcome any frictional resistances. The bottom e of the gasholder tank E is made conical with a pipe c' at the center, to which the bottle-shaped generator f is bolted, which contains the water or liquor for decomposing the carbid and collects the deposit of lime.

The whole apparatus is supported on feet g and occupies a small iioor-space.

The device for regulating the supply of carbid to the generator f is arranged as follows: A square frame is formed of a plate 7i or its equivalent, surrounding the pipe a3 inside the bell d and connected by bolts 7L' to another cross-bar h2, which has formed on it or carries a conical valve n. A valve-seating n' is screwed upon or otherwise fixed to the end of the pipe a3, and between the flange of the seating fn and the plate h a helical spring n2 is placed and compressed, so that it has a tendency to lift the frame and valve and close the orifice of the pipe a3. To the valve n or plate h2 a rod is fixed, which is threaded at its bottom end, and a nut c" is screwed upon it and fixed in position by a lock-nut or its equivalent. The rod c' passes freely through a hole in a cross-bar m., fixed in the pipe c3 of the hydraulic seal.

The nut is so adjusted that when the bell c is in its lowest position the valve n fully opens the outlet-orifice from the hopper. The rod 'L' is prolonged upward at i2 to agitate the carbid in the pipe a3 and prevent it from sticking. When the bell crises, the spring n2 lifts the valve n against its seating and closes the outlet, after which the bell can continue to rise freely to its highest position. To prevent the spring from being weakened by the weight of the bell whenthe apparatus is not Working, projecting lugs or handles o are riveted to the bell, by which it can be lifted, and hinged supports O or their equivalents are iixed to the tank,which when turned up under the handles ohold up the bell high enough to allow the spring n2 to close the Valve n.

The apparatus works as follows: At starting the bell is lifted and held up by the supports O in the manner described, so that the valve is closed. Granulated carbid is supplied to the hopper a through the cock a', which then is closed. The generator fis filled with water by pouring it into the central hydraulic seal till it overflows over the edge of the inner wall c3 into the generator j'. A tap f is arranged on the conical bottom of the gasholder to draw olf excess of water, though the action of the apparatus will not be interfered IOO with if the Water-level inside the holder should be higher. The supports O are then turned down, so that the bell can drop, when the cross-bar m encounters the nut t" and draws the valve down, allowing carbid to fall through the small bell d and internal pipe d2 into the generator f, and gas is produced and fills the gas-holder. The gas is drawn off for consumption through the pipe p or led into a purifier. If the production is greater than the consumption, the bell c rises and the spring n2 closes the valve, whereby the production of gas is stopped or reduced till the quantity in the holder is reduced and the bell sinks down again,when the cross-bar fm again strikes against the nut t" and the valve is pulled open by the bell, vallowing a further supply of carbid to drop into the decomposing-chamber, thisoperation being then repeated. To charge the hopper while the apparatus is working, a closed funnel-shaped receptacle, as indicated by dotted lines, filledl with granulated carbid is screwed or pressed upon the cock a', and when the latter is opened the carbid drops into the hopper a, after which the cock is closed again and the receptacle removed. Water can be lled in at any time during the working through the hydraulic seal. The liquid deposit of lime can be drawn off through an opening closed by a screwfplug f2 while the apparatus is acetylene is obtained, while overproduction is entirely prevented. The apparatus is compact and occupies little space and can be handled conveniently and without danger.

.Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In an apparatus for generating acetylene, the combination of a suitable frame, a hopper supported thereby and having an outlet-orifice at its lower end, a sleeve extending downwardly from said hopper and surrounding the outlet-orifice, an inner sleeve fixed to the aforesaid sleeve, a gas-holder guided in said frame, an outer casing extending downwardly from the top of the gas-holder and arranged within the same, an inner casing extending upwardly fromv the lower part of the outer casing, said outer sleeve on the hopper extending' down between the said casings and said inner sleeve extending down into the inner casing, a spring-retracted valve-stem passing through the outer casing and inner sleeve and having a valveabove said inner sleeve for opening and closing the said outlet-oriiice of the hopper, means for guiding the valve-stem, means connected with the outer casing for lowering the valve-stem and unseating the valve, and a generator located below and within said holder, substantially as set forth.

working, and for completely emptying the bottle-shaped generator f can be taken off, a tap f3 serving to empty the same to below the fiange. The shapes and relative sizes of the parts of the apparatus may be varied from those shown on the drawings.

The advantages of the improved apparatus hereinbefore described are the following: Acetylene is produced regularly and safely, as the holder need only be small and contain a small quantity of gas at a time even where a large supply is required. The pressure of the gas is perfectly uniform, as the oating gas-holder or bell carrying neither the supply of carbid nor water nor the deposit vof lime is not subject to'variations of load and moves freely without any friction in consequence of the hydraulic seal used. The lime deposit can readily be removed and the apparatus charged with carbid while working. The gas produced is free from ammonia, owingtothe large quantity ofwater contained in the generator, and is not liable to clog the burner even if no purifier is used. A small quantity of carbid being dropped at a time into a large quantity of water, no appreciable rise' of temperature occurs and a maximum yield of 2. in an apparatus for generating acetylene, the combination of a supporting-frame, a hopper provided with a valve-seat, a valve carried by said hopper, a spring attached to the hopper and adapted to seat said valve, a gas-holder guided by said frame, a generator located below and within said holder, an outer casing secured to said holder and extending into the generator, an inner casing concentric with said outer casing, an outer sleeve secured to the hopper and extending into the said outer casing, an inner sleeve attached to said outer sleeve and extending into said inner casing, a valve-stem extending downwardly through the inner sleeve and the inner casing, and a nut threaded on the end of the valve-stem and Yadapted to be engaged by the outer casing as the 'gas holder descends, whereby the valve is unseated, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI COUSIN.

Witnesses:

C. DE PENADI, EMILE PIcHU.

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